Romans 12:14

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 12:14

(14) Bless them which persecute you.—Apparently with allusion to Matthew 5:44. It was probably just about the time that St. Paul was writing this Epistle, or at most a year or two later, that the series of compositions which ultimately took the shape of our present Gospels began. It is not, however, necessary to suppose that St. Paul had actually seen one of these. The record of our Lord’s teaching was no doubt at first preserved and circulated in the Church orally, and it would be in this form... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Romans 12:1-21

The Living Sacrifice Romans 12:1 I. The Sacrifice God Requires. 'That ye present your bodies.' Our bodies, that is, the life of our bodies; for if we give our bodies as an offering, we give all that belongs to the body. The sacrifice God requires is that of the life. He demands a life devoted to Him. (a) The life may be given to business, but this must be given to Him, and so the employment of our hands and minds made holy. (b) The life may be given to science, but it must not be a... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Romans 12:8-21

Chapter 26CHRISTIAN DUTY: DETAILS OF PERSONAL CONDUCTRomans 12:8-21ST. PAUL has set before us the life of surrender, of the "giving over" of faculty to God, in one great preliminary aspect. The fair ideal (meant always for a watchful and hopeful realisation) has been held aloft. It is a life whose motive is the Lord’s "compassions"; whose law of freedom is His will; whose inmost aim is, without envy or interference towards our fellow servants, to "finish the work He hath given us to do." Now... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Romans 12:1-21

III. EXHORTATIONS AND THE CONCLUSION. Chapters 12-16. CHAPTER 12 1. The Body as a Willing Sacrifice. (Romans 12:1-2 .) 2. Service. (Romans 12:3-8 .) 3. The Daily Walk in Holiness. (Romans 12:9-21 .) Romans 12:1-2 . Grace calls for obedience. After God has made known the riches of His grace, the fulness of the Gospel, His Spirit shows how believers should walk in a world of sin and tribulation. The first thing is to present the body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. This... read more

L.M. Grant

L. M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 12:1-21

Practical Response in Believers Now Paul has completed his treatment of the subject of God's counsel in reference to salvation - counsel accomplished by a hand of mercy. What then is to be the proper effect of these upon His saints? The last five chapters give us the conduct that mercy, rightly valued, produces. Thus it is in its true place - coming after salvation, not before. It is unspeakably blessed to mark how this is introduced. The peremptory demand of law - "Thou shalt" - has no... read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - Romans 12:1-21

PRACTICAL APPLICATION In chapter 6 Paul revealed the secret of experimental sanctification as the yielding of one’s self unto God, in which case sin would not have dominion over one In chapter 8 he showed the divine process of sanctification as the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Having finished the doctrinal part of his epistle, he returns to what he then said (chap. 6), and exhorts us to yield because of the “mercies of God” of which he had been speaking throughout (Romans 12:1-2... read more

Joseph Parker

The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - Romans 12:1-21

The Christian Ideal Romans 12:0 Anew section of the Epistle would seem to open with the twelfth chapter. The eleventh chapter concludes with "Amen": but Amen was not necessarily a final word with the Apostle Paul. He had his own way of writing. He began again after he was supposed to have finished; always another idea occurred to him; evermore there was a light beyond on which he must dwell if only for a moment, and scarcely had he indicated that beam than there dawned upon that ardent mind... read more

Joseph Parker

The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - Romans 12:9-21

Rom 12:9-21 9 Let love be without dissimulation ["Let love be unfeigned." Comp. 2 Corinthians 6:6 ; 1Pe 1:22 ]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love ["In brotherly-love be affectionate one to another." The Speakers Commentary points out that the emphatic order of the Greek is lost in the A.V.]; in honour preferring one another: 11. Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12. Rejoicing in... read more

Robert Hawker

Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary - Romans 12:6-18

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; (7) Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; (8) Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. (9) Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. (10) Be kindly... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible - Romans 12:9-16

9-16 The professed love of Christians to each other should be sincere, free from deceit, and unmeaning and deceitful compliments. Depending on Divine grace, they must detest and dread all evil, and love and delight in whatever is kind and useful. We must not only do that which is good, but we must cleave to it. All our duty towards one another is summed up in one word, love. This denotes the love of parents to their children; which is more tender and natural than any other; unforced,... read more